Ch-13 VILLA FOR SALE ( NCERT. sol)

4. Copy and complete the following paragraph about the theme of the play using the clues given in the box below. Remember that there are more clues than required. Sell, buying, house, enthusiastic, comes, 200 thousand francs, taking, favour, get, sleeps, money, 300 thousand francs, unhappy, his in-laws, walks in, strikes, keep Juliette, the owner of a villa wants to _________ it as she is in need of __________. Moreover, she is not in _________ of the house. Jeanne and Gaston, a couple visit her with the aim of __________ the Villa. While Jeanne is ___________ about buying, Gaston detests the idea as he does not want his __________ in that house. Also, he finds the asking price of ___________ to be expensive. When Jeanne and Juliette go around the house, another customer __________ and starts talking to Gaston _______ him to be Juliette’s husband. Gaston _________ a deal with the customer by which he is able to give ___________ to the owner and __________ one thousand francs for himself. Answer – Juliette, the owner of a villa wants to sell it as she is in need of money. Moreover, she is not in favour of the house. Jeanne and Gaston, a couple visit her with the aim of buying the Villa. While Jeanne is enthusiastic about buying, Gaston detests the idea as he does not want his in-laws in that house. Also, he finds the asking price of house to be expensive. When Jeanne and Juliette go around the house, another customer walks-in and starts talking to Gaston taking him to be Juliette’s husband. Gaston strikes a deal with the customer by which he is able to give 200 thousand francs to the owner and keep one thousand francs for himself.

5. Answer the following questions briefly. (a) Why does Jeanne want to buy a villa? Answer – Jeanne wants to buy the villa so that her parents can stay in it. Moreover, her sister along with her children could also visit and stay there. (b) Why is Gaston not interested in buying the villa in the beginning? Answer –Gaston is not fond of his wife’s family. He believes that her parents would occupy the villa for quite some time and her sister would also visit there. He believes that buying the villa is a bad investment and has no desire to buy it. c) Mrs. Al Smith makes many statements about the French. Pick out any two and explain them. Answer – Mrs. Al Smith makes the following statements about the French: (i) “You French have a very cute way of doing business”. (ii) “Frenchmen usually have to consult about ten people before they get a move on”. Mrs Al Smith believes that French are not very business-minded and they don’t go into any details. Moreover she also believes that the French are fickle- minded and they cannot make their own decisions. (d) Juliette says “… now I have only one thought that is to get the wretched place off my hands. I would sacrifice it at any price.” Does she stick to her words? Why/Why not? Answer – Juliette did not stick to her words because she quotes a hefty price of two hundred and fifty thousand francs for the villa and she finally sells it for two hundred thousand francs. Her greed for wealth leads to change in the course of actions. (e) Who is better in business -Juliette or Gaston? Why? Answer – Gaston is better than Juliette in business. He managed to make a hundred thousand francs on a property he never owned. He sold the villa that belonged to Juliette to a Mrs. Al Smith and also acquired a picture by an artist named Corot in the deal. (f) Do you like/dislike Gaston? Give your reasons. Answer – Yes, I like Gaston. He is an intelligent person and also very clear in thinking. He is a shrewd businessman that know how to make good profit. In the part, He pretends to be the husband of the owner and manages to swindle the rather smart Mrs. Al Smith. He takes advantage of the situation and-makes a hundred thousand francs. He is a diplomat who manages to keep everyone happy at the end Juliette, Mrs. Al Smith and his wife Jeanne.

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6. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options. A. But the sign has been hanging on the gate for over a month now and I am beginning to be afraid that the day I bought it was when I was the real fool. (a) Why is Juliette disappointed? (i) She is unable to get a role of cook in the films. (ii) Her maid is leaving as she has got a role in the films. (iii) She is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa. (iv) Gaston is offering a very low price for the villa. Answer – (iii) She is unable to find a suitable buyer for her villa.

(b) Why does she call herself a fool? (i) She has decided to sell her villa. (ii) There are no buyers for the villa. (iii) She had bought the villa for more than it was worth. (iv) The villa was too close to the film studios. Answer – (iii) She had bought the villa for more than it was worth.

B. ‘But your parents would take possession of it, every year from the beginning of spring until the end of September. What’s more they would bring the whole tribe of your sister’s children with them.’ (a) What does Gaston mean by ‘take possession’? (i) Her parents would stay with them for a long time. (ii) Jeanne’s sister has many children. (iii) Gaston does not like children. (iv) Juliette’s sister’s children are badly behaved. Answer –(i) Her parents would stay with them for a long time.

C. ‘While you were upstairs, I have been thinking a lot about your Papa and Mamma.’ (a) What is the discrepancy between what Gaston said earlier and what he says now? (i) Earlier he did not want Jeanne’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them. (ii) Earlier he wanted Jeanne’s parents to stay with them but now he does not want them to come over. (iii) Earlier he wanted to buy a house for them but now he wants them to come and stay in their villa. (iv) Earlier he stayed in Jeanne’s parents’ villa but now he wants them to stay with him and Jeanne. Answer – (i) Earlier he did not want Jeanne’s parents to stay with them but now he is showing concern for them.

(b) What does the above statement reveal about Gaston’s character? (i) He is selfish. (ii) He is an opportunist. (iii) He is a caring person. (iv) He is a hypocrite. Answer –(ii) He is an opportunist.